(DrEddyClinic News) We can learn a lot from poop. Seriously, hear me out. What comes out can tell us a lot about what’s going on inside. Color, consistency, appearance, and odor are all indications of how healthy, or unhealthy, you are. Think of it like reading tea leaves, except with hard science to back it up.

So What Can We Learn from Stool Color?

Brown might be the standard color of bowel movements, but it’s not the only color. Actually, if it comes out another color, it’s a good idea to start asking questions. While it’s probably nothing, you can’t be too cautious. The human body isn’t like a machine where you can simply take a look under the hood to make sure everything is functioning properly. What you excrete is one of the best indicators of your wellness. Let’s take a look at what some common “alternative” colors can mean.

If you’re sure, however, that such foods aren’t the culprit, it’s time to start looking into possible digestive problems. The liver produces bile, which is green in color, and uses it to break down fats. Stool should pass from the small intestine to the colon, changing color along the way from green to yellow to brown. Green stool could mean that food is passing through the digestive system too quickly and the color change doesn’t finish. [1]

It’s worth noting that infants have a much faster bowel transit time than adults. Green stool is common in breastfeeding infants and usually nothing to worry about. [2]

Like green stool, yellow stool is common and benign with newborns and something that will pass, pardon the pun. [2] Yellow stool is not normal for adults. The lone exception to this would be a situation in which a massive amount of yellow food coloring had been recently ingested. If you see yellow stool, organs such as the stomach, liver, large intestine, or small intestine, may be experiencing trouble. See a health professional sooner than later. [5]